Prognosticating the CFL’s quarterback carousel

After successfully prognosticating last off-season’s quarterback carousel, I’m back to take another stab at predicting how the dominoes will fall this upcoming winter. This off-season could easily feature the most quarterback movement we’ve seen in a decade, so buckle up for a flurry of moves over the next few months.

James Franklin

Franklin may have attempted only 146 passes in his CFL career, but the young pivot will be the linchpin of the entire off-season. Teams love Franklin’s maturity, athleticism, and career 111.7 quarterback rating. A pending free agent, Franklin will be at the top of many team’s off-season wish lists.

Unless the Eskimos decide to keep Franklin over Mike Reilly — which, while not impossible, seems unlikely — it stands to reason the Esks will trade Franklin’s rights prior to start of free agency in February. Montreal would be the likeliest destination — this would allow Edmonton to keep Franklin out of the West Division, while allowing Montreal to fill its need at quarterback.

It’s important to remember that, even if traded to La Belle Province, there’s no guarantee Franklin would sign a new contract with Montreal prior to becoming a free agent. Franklin has a connection with Roughrider head coach and general manager Chris Jones as well as Ed Hervey, who was just named the general manager of the B.C. Lions.

There’s also an outside chance that a team like Hamilton or Ottawa, a pair of East Division clubs who have never feared making big moves at the quarterback position, get in on the Franklin sweepstakes.

Franklin has also been said to be interested in trying the NFL. At 26, it’s not impossible to imagine the three-year pro getting a look at a team’s training camp down south.

Regardless of how things turn out, seeing where Franklin lands this off-season will make for tremendous theatre.

2018 landing spot:

Montreal Alouettes – 35%

NFL – 20%

Saskatchewan Roughriders – 15%

Ottawa Redblacks – 10%

B.C. Lions – 10%

Edmonton Eskimos – 5%

Hamilton Tiger-Cats – 5%

Zach Collaros

With virtually no chance of returning to Hamilton next season, Collaros is likely to land where he began his CFL career: Toronto. There’s speculation Collaros wants to stay in Ontario and might likely be willing to renegotiate his deal to play under Argonaut head coach Marc Trestman.

I only see two possible landing spots for Collaros outside of Toronto: Saskatchewan and Ottawa. The Riders have already shown interest in trading for Collaros and they could revisit the possibility of acquiring him if they fail to land Franklin. Ottawa, meanwhile, is a good regional fit for Collaros who may need a quarterback if negotiations with Trevor Harris go south.

2018 landing spot:

Toronto Argonauts – 80%

Saskatchewan Roughriders – 15%

Ottawa Redblacks – 5%

Trevor Harris

The Redblacks tried unsuccessfully to extend Harris’ contract last off-season and are on the record as stating they’ll try to re-sign him this winter. Harris is a great fit for Ottawa and vice versa — he was mediocre in the playoffs, but Harris enjoyed one of the best regular seasons of any quarterback in the CFL this season.

It’s hard to imagine Harris not returning to Ottawa, but Montreal, Saskatchewan, and Toronto remain among possible landing spots should contract negotiations with Harris prove unsuccessful or Ottawa decide to make a surprise play — like, for example, acquiring James Franklin.

2018 landing spot:

Ottawa Redblacks – 75%

Montreal Alouettes – 10%

B.C. Lions – 5%

Saskatchewan Roughriders – 5%

Toronto Argonauts – 5%

Jonathon Jennings

Jennings is still under contract with B.C. through 2018, but a poor 2017 season has some doubting if the 25-year-old has what it takes to be a bona fide CFL star. I’d be surprised to see the Lions move on from Jennings, but the off-field uncertainty surrounding the organization means that anything can happen on the west coast.

Jennings is more likely to stay in B.C. with Wally Buono staying on as head coach, but Ed Hervey is now in charge of the team’s personnel. If Hervey makes an aggressive play to get his own guy (ie. James Franklin), Jennings could become trade bait for another pivot-needy team.

That said, depending on how the dominoes fall, I see Montreal and Saskatchewan as the two most likely candidates to land Jennings via trade in the unlikely event that he becomes available.

2018 landing spot:

B.C. Lions – 85%

Montreal Alouettes – 10%

Saskatchewan Roughriders – 5%

Mike Reilly

Reilly is under contract with the Eskimos through 2018, but it’s possible that he’ll become available in the trade market should Edmonton decide to lock-up James Franklin long-term. Shipping out the former Grey Cup champion and perennial Most Outstanding Player candidate would be a high-risk move for Brock Sunderland, but it could pay dividends. Trading Reilly would free up a ton of cap space for the Eskimos, while the veteran pivot would be sure to fetch a hefty return.

The only club I could see giving up what it might take to get Reilly out of Edmonton is Montreal — if the Als can’t land Franklin, a trade for Reilly might be the club’s next-best option.

2018 landing spot:

Edmonton Eskimos – 90%

Montreal Alouettes – 10%

Ricky Ray

Ray enjoyed a renaissance season in 2017, reaching 5,000 passing yards for the first time since 2008. The future hall of famer also managed to stay relatively healthy this year, missing just one game due to injury.

The Argos have said they want Ray back next year if he’s interested in playing in 2018, a matter that’s still up in the air. I’m guessing we’ve seen the last of Ray uniform (though I anticipate him sticking around in the league in some capacity, most likely as a coach), but I’ve been wrong before. He may choose to play.

Barring a stunning turn of events, Ray will be retired or an Argonaut next season.

2018 landing spot:

Retirement – 50%

Toronto Argonauts – 40%

Montreal Alouettes – 5%

Saskatchewan Roughriders – 5%

Kevin Glenn

Glenn enjoyed a decent season in Saskatchewan, but was been pulled in favor of Brandon Bridge on five separate occasions in 2017. Turning 39 next June, Glenn’s days as a starting quarterback could be over (in Saskatchewan or otherwise).

The Riders may choose to bring Glenn back as the club’s back-up next season, while Calgary may also show interest in the veteran in a depth role. Personally, I’d love to see the veteran pivot wind-up in Edmonton. The reason? Joining the Eskimos would mean Glenn has officially been a member of all nine CFL teams.

He’s not a free agent, but Glenn could have some trade value if the Riders are serious about bringing in another veteran arm.

The question becomes whether or not teams see him as a starter. Bridge’s best starting opportunities would lie in Saskatchewan and Montreal, while I see B.C., Calgary, and Ottawa as potential landing spots for Bridge as a back-up.

A return home to Toronto would be make sense for both Bridge and the Argos — imagine the marketing opportunities — but Jim Popp released Bridge while the pair were in Montreal, making a reunion in Toronto unlikely.

Bridge has started working on an extension with Saskatchewan, a team to which he has said he’d like to return. Count on Bridge re-signing with the Riders.

2018 landing spot:

Saskatchewan Roughriders – 80%

Montreal Alouettes – 5%

B.C. Lions – 5%

Calgary Stampeders – 5%

Ottawa Redblacks – 5%

Darian Durant

Durant has had a rough first season in Montreal and the common consensus is that he won’t be given a second chance to turn the Alouettes around. Now 35, the veteran pivot is unlikely to receive an opportunity to be a day-one starter in 2018.

This doesn’t mean that Durant won’t have options — Winnipeg, Ottawa, B.C., and Calgary could all be in the market for an experienced back-up. Depending on Durant’s off-field options, it’s also possible the two-time Grey Cup champion will retire.

Word is Eskimos are negotiation a long term extension with Reilly after Christmas, likely 3 years. He’s good to go for a few more years – at his prime. Sunderland doesn’t strike me as that much of a gambler to make that trade. Edmonton hosts Cup so they need Reilly. Besides, 3 years is long enough to develop another guy or, worst comes to worst, get in the 2021 free agent sweepstakes. If they wanted to keep Franklin they would have played him more this year to assess the risk.

Anyone remember the Ricky Ray trade? Going with Franklin over Reilly would look exactly like that. The Esks have been busted with injuries this season and remained competitive. This shows Sunderland is a a competent GM (I wanted him in Montréal the second Popp was let go) and I don’t see a competent Gm part ways with a proven winning QB like Reilly. Franklin lands elsewhere.

Last year was easy, John. It was pretty much Durant & Nichols. Durant had nowhere to go but Wpg & Mtl. Nichols nowhere but Sask & Mtl. Once Durant signed, it was inevitable Nichols was staying in Wpg. The other opening, Sask, had Chris Jones & that relationship was burned when Jones shipped him off to Winnipeg as not good enough to start ahead of Franklin. Not so easy this time. Franklin to Mtl is easy as top landing spot. He’s the clear starter there then too. I think Durant is done in Mtl. Not so sure about Riders. If Bridge is re-signed & with Glenn & Adams also on board, why go there? Why compete for starter if he doesn’t have to? In Ottawa a lot of folks don’t like Harris. Jennings is Wally’s boy but if Wally sticks to letting Hervey make all player decisions, Hervey might spring for Franklin ahead of free agency. That’s how he got Reilly, pulling an end around to Bombers’ chagrin. That’s the price you pay for waiting to free agency to get him for free, something Rider fans keep saying with Franklin. I expect the Eskimos will get multiple offers for the chance to negotiate with Franklin prior to free agency. I think that domino has to fall first for a bunch of clubs.

More on that. Wally revisited the Reilly deal this week & said he had tried to trade his rights but Hervey was the only guy who stepped up. Zero chance the Eskimos are just going to let him walk for nothing. That everyone else thought in 2012 getting Reilly’s rights was not worth it is mind bloggling. Yeah, let’s wait & get into a bidding war. Won’t happen again.

Its cheaper to get franklins rights now than it was a year ago. Last year edmonton wanted namaan roosevelt and another player i believe. Best bet is to trade for his rights now. Edmonton wont get as much since the risk is much greater. If you wait for free agency, its probably already too late. Unless he has extended nfl tryouts right into free agency.

Maybe. It really depends on how many suitors he has, & there appears to be plenty. CFL.ca has an article seeing him as can’t miss. The free agent ratings will soon be out & he’ll be top 3 at least. There is a risk but you may be talking about the next franchise QB &, unlike last year where Durant got Riders a draft pick, there wasn’t anywhere Durant had to go but Mtl or Wpg (if they didn’t sign Nichols). There is a lot of uncertainty in Toronto (Ray may retire, nobody behind him), Ottawa (he’s not very popular there & Desjardins has been lukewarm on him), Mtl (Durant won’t be the starter-likely gone, BC (Jennings is Wally’s guy – Hervey has been given the green light on personnel). And of course there’s the Riders. The Eskimos will listen to offers for his negotiation rights to give a club first crack at him. Don’t forget Adams brought BC a 1st rounder & Willy got Wpg an all-star & 1st rounder not long ago. The thinking is there will be 3 or 4 teams interested in him, & Mtl is desperate for someone to lead them out of the boonies. If you read Vanstone, your local writer, he has already said Jones will back up the Brinks truck to sign him. Don’t think Reed won’t either.

I dont doubt that jones will give franklin a starters salary if he feels he is worth it, and since he coached him, he would have a better idea than most if he is ( same with hervey).
You cant compare drew willy’s trade value to franklin since drew still had a full year left on his contract. A franklin trade now is just for negotiating rights, and far less valuable since the risk is high.

Its still a business and you have to entertain offers regardless of who its with. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.i dont know for a fact that they talked about a franklin trade,but that was a rumour i heard.

But the Alouettes’ genius GM will keep him and say they’ll win a GC with him in 2018 and the great guys Sleepy Joe will find. And when Durant will fail, he’ll fire the HC to keep Durant, saying they’ll win the GC with him in 2019. Then, the Alouettes won’t play the 2019 season.

If Ray leaves for retirement, Cody Fajardo should take over. Everyone focus on Franklin, but Fajardo is a future starter too, sooner than later. This kid is the next Mike Reilly. Big guy, accurate, sees the field, can escape pressure, shows great confidence, he’s got the tools.

What about Jeremiah Masoli? What about Hamilton…we have a 5% chance (Franklin!?!)of having a quarterback? I’m sitting here in my long underwear, shivering, waiting for Spring…real bummer to have the great 3down games we’ve seen in recent weeks and now go cold turkey. Hamilton needs to sign Masoli, Banks, and Dean (also preferably Tasker) under Coach Jones.

You keep saying this Philski, conveniently forgetting Zach didn’t get a chance to play in Jones’s system and behind the upgraded line and with the new commitment to the run game.

Truth is the $1.5M Man wouldn’t have made the stupid game-losing mistakes Masoli did against in the home Saskatchewan game and the last Ottawa game. Even though the last Toronto game was more a defensive collapse, he may have been able to pull that out by not making the ball control errors and trademark red zone accuracy issues make time and time again. Under those conditions, Collaros finishes 8-2, maybe 9-1.

Or finishes 2-8, maybe 1-9…using your logic. And how can you say he “wouldn’t make the same mistakes”? How do you know? I mean he sure isn’t famous for last second game winning drives. Point is he didn’t win ONE bloody game in his first 8 starts, system change or not. Hell, even Golson could of won at least one.

Negative my Abacus friend…more like proving to be on par with letting go of Maas and Printers…2 other over rated QB’s who never won anything but TC’s gave up a King’s Ransom, only to watch them go fizzz…

ya except collaros is almost 30 and cavillo was 24 big diff, collaros lost his last game and Masoli came in the next game and won now how you completely change an offense in 1 week is beyond me and collaros was ready to break the all time lost record he was 0 and 12 when they pulled him counting into last year

Lancaster/Reed: My guess is that you will know if Collaros can regain his pre-injury form once he goes back to Toronto. He will shine under Trestman very quickly if Ricky Ray decides to retire. Too bad the Tiger-Cats never found out late this past season. If there is any justice, Austin will also find out wherever he ends up in 2018….hopefully a long way from Hamilton.

I think june jones should have given collaros a legitimate chance to run his offence for 2 reasons. Find out if zach can run it a lot better than masoli, and also to boost zach’s tradeability if he can show any improvement from earlier in the season.

Argoes were interested enough to make an offer during the season for Collaros so I agree that this is where he likely gets his shot (assuming a renegotiated contract).

@ Lancaster/Reed:

At his best, Collaros never ran as well as Masoli. With a serious run game instead of the Austin offense window dressing … Collaros may only have to pick a couple of spots, with reasonable running to be successful.

I have no problem with Masoli as starter until the Cats were eliminated. I also have no problem if Jones was told he needed to win as many as possible to make his case for the HC job.

LOL…! Like I’ve said before Abacus, I can always count on you to give me a good laugh when things go astray. Needed it after attending Roger’s this eve and watching the Leafs lose a game they should have won against the Canuckleheads. Thanks for that!

IMO, while Stamps pivot BLM Okay 2018, things could get tough for Huff should BLM tryouts NFL leaving gaping hole. Stamps do not have proven second stringer (or third). So HUFF may be vulnerable after 2018. Glen may return to the white stallions after all.

think Russel Wilson’s success @5’11” and 215′ has given hope to all those talented, and otherwise less so, QBs who don’t meet the new NFL ‘must be’ screen that only looks at guys 6’3 – 6’6 and 230+ pounds.

Saw JJ (BC Lions) as possibly making an NFL roster until this year -2016 and 2017 definitely a tale of 2 different possibilities.

Didn’t mention that the Argos hold the rights to Oaklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – probable Heisman winner this year, and Edmonton holds the rights to Ohio State’s JT Barrett. Both would be CFL stars. Would rather see CFL break the bank on guys like these instead of washed-up junkies like Manziel.

Because there’s zero chance Mayfield or Barrett are playing in the CFL this year or next. They’ll be drafted by the NFL and, at worst, hack around NFL rosters for a couple years. Not saying they’ll be NFL calibre (only time will tell), but the CFL will have to wait until both players have given up on their NFL dreams.

Durant was such a hot mess last season, its hard to picture him going anywhere. His mechanics were so off, it was embarrassing to watch. Can trestman resurrect durants career? Would toronto even want to try? Im skeptical on both counts.

Absolutely Randy. Collaros is still under contract while it is Masoli who is the free agent. I don’t see the Ticats trading him to their closest rival down the QEW either. Collaros has indicated he’d like to remain in Hamilton but all will depend on who is the head coach. Reportedly going to be Jones returning but there’s no announcement about that yet.

I think ottawa would be crazy to not re-sign harris. He is a very good qb, who i think will only get better with more experience, especially playoff experience. As promising as franklin may look to be, in ottawa’s case its a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush scenario.

Personally I like Harris. But TSN radio’s Gregor reported Monday after Grey Cup he was shocked how many in Ottawa said they didn’t want him back. He’s not a team player. He took no responsibility for the semi-final loss, pointing the finger elsewhere. He wants a raise & RB’s want to give him less. The Ottawa Citizen called for the RB’s to pursue Franklin the day BEFORE the semi. Something’s going on in the Capital with coaches shown the door. Maybe Harris follows. Who knows? I would think he signs but…

More interesting to me was he said he wasn’t asking the question. He said he was hearing this with no prompting from himself. Gregor is more a hockey guy with no real interest in the RedBlacks so that kind of caught me off guard.

Or was he in the middle bunch who represent a few out of all RedBlack fans?

If he is so shocked at the number … why are there so few comments trashing Harris on articles here?

For that matter, where are the articles with Harris pointing fingers as the ones I am finding have him refusing to agree that losing Ellingson at the same time as Sinopoli was already out was the reason for the loss.

Maybe different search parameters will turn up the Ottawa Citizen calling for Franklin but so far, zero hits.

Calgary might decide they need a second or third stringer with more cfl experience. Im sure they keep buckley because he has shown some promise, but Stanzi is horrid. Lefevour also would be a better option for short yardage situations than either buckley ( grey cup 2016 ) or stanzi.

If we end up with Reilly, JJ and Franklin somehow, plus a healthy Travis, I’ll be a happy camper 🙂
Yeah, I know, I WISH lol. Going to be one VERY hectic off season. And this article is just about the QBs. Lots of other interesting possibilities out there with other positions too.

Each team has a $5.1M Salary Cap, and they make enough money to meet their payroll.

Stadiums don’t have to be full for teams to break even or make a profit. And while the Argonauts undoubtedly lost (a lot of) money this year, their owners have deep pockets and are willing to cover the losses until they turn it around.

This column did not even mention Masoli and Manziel. Pure speculation but here is what i think is happening. June Jones is getting calls from NFL teams with 0-3 wins so far to hold off on CFL because he might get some interviews in January. Why? June already has NFL head coaching experience with Atlanta and Chargers in the 90’s. One of the falcons seasons was an 11 win season. NFL is impressed with his quick turn around record at Hawaii, SMU (coming off NCAA sanctions), and Hamilton (0-8). If he gets a job then Masoli, Manziel, and Banks come with him. Hamilton keeps Zach and tries to make it work with either D or O Coordinator taking over unless June takes them to NFL.

No, and I predict Montreal will crossover to the west in 2018. Maybe if the west had both Grey Cup contenders they’d win more. In all seriousness, the west wins (more than) its share, I like the east west format, and would be concerned if we ever had, for example, B.C. and Winnipeg contending for a Grey Cup in Hamilton . What would be perfect, would be two divisions of 5 teams each, but despite all the talk about Halifax, I’d be happy seeing Toronto, BC and Montreal healthy. I have no problem with Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto winning championships with 500/sub records occasionally.

Add me to that list. Maybe I am just a traditionalist who hates change but I love the East/West Format. A co-worker says you are rewarding the East for mediocrity and to an extent it may be true cuz poor teams can still make the playoffs but if they are poor teams, they should not win championship games. In the end, it is about the championship, the mug, the rings.

I’d be happy for all CFL teams to be healthy, but this goes with all CFL teams with good ownership. I think this is what there is in BC and in Toronto now, but problems in Montréal begin with the ownership. Andrew Wetenhall thinks he takes good football decisions, but his meddling is killing the team.

There is a high probability that Ricky Ray, Glenn, and Durant will either retire,or see little playing time due to injury, or to the necessity of starting another passer to motivate the team.They can no longer be counted on to carry the leadership role of a CFL league team.

Cisco kid,
Ray, Glenn and Durant missed one game each this year. That’s significantly less down time than normal for a CFL QB in any given year. How can you be certain they will see little playing time due to injury if they play in 2018?

Franklin would be crazy to take a starters job in Montreal with the circus in town. He goes to Arizona and becomes QB2 behind Blaine Gabbert just like in college and takes over for Drew Stanton who is 33. A chance to work with Bruce Arians would be the perfect fit for Franklin.

Toronto had a real team and offensive line that would dramatically improve any quarterback.There is no fix required for Collaros he got the brunt of the blame for a team that was not ready for the season.Poor offensive line,poor international receivers and two poor national receivers combined with no running game.Mike Reilly would need fixing with with that mess.

Might depend on what he got in return but I tend to agree with you. He is, after all, the reigning MOP. But I can see fan getting very upset at losing Franklin. Very much like the situation we faced when we had Travis and Reilly on the same team and though “unproven” fans close to the team KNEW the potential of Reilly. My friend at work and I, to this day, argue over who we should have kept out of the two. You hate to see either go. Funny thing is Reilly being in the middle of both.

Remember the Ricky Ray trade? Tillman is still despised in Edmonton and was done the moment he pulled that trigger.

James Franklin is a very good QB, but he is NOT at the same level as Reilly. He wasn’t ranked as high in college as Mike … He doesn’t have Mike firey win at all costs demeanor that his teammates follow and the fans love … He has not won a Grey Cup, been an MOP nor passed Moon’s single-season yards passing record.

We have been here before in Edmonton, Ray and Maas, Allen and Dunigan, Ham and Allen, Moon and Wilkie … we know greatness when we see it. Reilly is great and Franklin is very good, so see ya James hope you do well except against the Esks.

As a fellow diehard Eskies fan I’d trade Reilly when is value is highest sign Franklin long term and trade or release Bowman and his 260,000 salary trading Trading Reilly would save 550,000 and sign Franklin to 300,000 per year and have lots left over to sign grymes walker and more free agents

Thankfully you are not the Eskies G.M. Dion and even if you were right after you made those moves you would be fired. Sundy is just not silly enough to trade the MOP QB and sign a QB who wants to and will take his shot down south.

As for Bowman why would you release player with 241 yards and 3 TD’s in the last 3 games … sure he was hurt most of the year, but he bounced back. He also had 3 receptions on 5 targets for 71 yards and 2 TD’s against Winnipeg. I don’t get the move if you only have 2 international receivers under contract with Hazelton, Zylstra and Walker all assured to be gone from the Esks.

Adams is the forgotten man in Regina because he’s tough project. He’s got a weak arm, isn’t very accurate and hardly makes plays from the pocket. He’s got a good leadership, great escapibility, very mobile and makes plays on the scramble. He’s the kind of QB you can’t build an O easily for.

When the 2014 Alouettes’ TC opened in 2016, there were Kevin Glenn, Rackeem Cato, Vernon Adams and Brandon Bridge as the 5 leading candidates for QBs. Bridge was clearly the less accurate of them. He has a canon arm, but lacks accuracy. He,s rather a QB that will throw somewhere hoping his guy will adjust and make the play.